News:

"Forbidden Fruit [L-H]"
Congratulations Mellific & Swashbuckler for completing your RP!

Main Menu

So, about GMOs....

Started by ChosenbyRuin, May 28, 2009, 08:27:58 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

ChosenbyRuin

The norm is to geneticly modify a seed, have it contaminate your customer's neighbor's yard and destroy his crop, then sue him.

Discuss.

Oniya

I think the dicey part of GMO's in your example is the idea of patenting a genome (which is where the 'suit' usually comes in - 'Oh look, he's growing our crop without paying us for it.')  It's like - you've got a pure-bred cocker spaniel, and I've got a pure-bred poodle, and your spaniel gets in with my poodle and I end up with a litter of cockapoos.  And you sue because I'm 'using' your spaniel's DNA.  Only in this case, the wind/bees/flies/butterflies that neither of us can keep out (practically speaking) are the ones doing the fertilizing.
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
O/O's Updated 5/11/21 - A/A's - Current Status! - Writing a novel - all draws for Fool of Fire up!
Requests updated March 17

OldSchoolGamer

Quote from: ChosenbyRuin on May 28, 2009, 08:27:58 PM
The norm is to geneticly modify a seed, have it contaminate your customer's neighbor's yard and destroy his crop, then sue him.

Discuss.

Do you have any specific examples of this to cite?  Links?

Oniya

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapeseed#Controversy

This is one that I personally stumbled across while looking up something else.

QuoteThe Monsanto Company has genetically engineered new cultivars of rapeseed that are resistant to the effects of its herbicide Roundup. They have sought compensation from farmers found to have the Roundup Ready gene in Canola in their fields without paying a license fee. These farmers have claimed the Roundup Ready gene was blown into their fields and crossed with unaltered Canola. Other farmers claim that after spraying Roundup in non-Canola fields to kill weeds before planting, Roundup Ready volunteers are left behind, causing extra expense to rid their fields of the weeds.

In a closely followed legal battle, the Supreme Court of Canada found in favor of Monsanto's patent infringement claim for unlicensed growing of Roundup Ready in its 2004 ruling on Monsanto Canada Inc. v. Schmeiser. The case garnered international controversy as a court-sanctioned legitimation for the global patent protection of genetically modified crops. However, Schmeiser was not required to pay damages as he did not benefit financially from the GMO crop in his field.

In March 2008, an out-of-court settlement between Monsanto and Schmeiser has an agreement for Monsanto to clean up the entire GMO-canola crop on Schmeiser's farm at a cost of $660.
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
O/O's Updated 5/11/21 - A/A's - Current Status! - Writing a novel - all draws for Fool of Fire up!
Requests updated March 17

Zakharra

Quote from: ChosenbyRuin on May 28, 2009, 08:27:58 PM
The norm is to geneticly modify a seed, have it contaminate your customer's neighbor's yard and destroy his crop, then sue him.

Discuss.

The norm is to make a crop/animal that grows better/resistent to diseases/pesticides, not to infect other crops.

OldSchoolGamer

Quote from: Oniya on June 01, 2009, 08:45:30 AM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapeseed#Controversy

This is one that I personally stumbled across while looking up something else.

Interesting...well in that case I think Monsanto and the court were wrong...though ultimately the controversy forced the company to do the right thing.

My impression of GMOs is that, like any other technology, there's use and abuse. 

Caehlim

I'm all for GMOs but this idea of owning DNA that spreads naturally on its own is unfeasible. We will have to find a new model of dealing with GMOs if we want to bring them into common usage.
My home is not a place, it is people.
View my Ons and Offs page.

View my (new)Apologies and Absences thread or my Ideas thread.

PanzerDivisionBOM

Quote from: Caehlim on June 04, 2009, 01:22:17 PM
I'm all for GMOs but this idea of owning DNA that spreads naturally on its own is unfeasible. We will have to find a new model of dealing with GMOs if we want to bring them into common usage.

The problem here, as I see it, lies with the Mosanto Company. If they can prevent their GMO from spreading to other farmers' fields, then they can reasonably claim it as their intellectual property. If not, then not only should they not be allowed to offload the cost of the enforcement of their property rights unto others, but any farmer whose land is subjected to the spread of the GMO without his expressed content should be able to claim just restitution, for the unauthorized alterations to his property.

That said, I can see some cases where a farmer might be tempted to collect a GMO strain from a Company-licensed field and then introduce it into his own field, without attaining permission from the Company. If the Company can somehow prove that such a case has occurred, then they may justly demand restitution for the unauthorized use of their intellectual property, as well as any additional acts of theft, vandalism or trespassing committed by the farmer in the act.

Also, any involved party should of course be able to freely pursue voluntary agreements with any other party, which should then be honoured in turn, taking precedence over the above guidelines. Such an agreement should specify an arbiter of conflict and also the specific penalties involved for each party, should they break any part of their agreement. For instance, Mosanto Company could include in their license agreements a stipulation that any licensee must take certain, predefined steps to protect any Company property that is in use upon their land, or else face a predetermined fine.

This seems like a very simple, straightforward piece of moral reasoning to me. It should be entirely possible to prevent any disputes, with only a minimum of foresight. Does anyone else have an alternative viewpoint?
"If there's anyone else out there, disillusioned just like me,/
It's time we tried to turn the tide, with an overwhelming minority."

www.freedomainradio.com - The philosophy of personal and political freedom.

Coming soon to a signature near you: ON & OFF Thread! ;D

Oniya

The problem is that - at the moment - there is no way to prevent a bee (butterfly, fly, wind current) from taking pollen from a Mosanto plant and pollinating a non-Mosanto plant with it, thereby introducing the Round-Up resistant gene into a new, unlicensed population.
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
O/O's Updated 5/11/21 - A/A's - Current Status! - Writing a novel - all draws for Fool of Fire up!
Requests updated March 17

Caehlim

Quote from: PanzerDivisionBOM on June 11, 2009, 12:35:36 PMThis seems like a very simple, straightforward piece of moral reasoning to me. It should be entirely possible to prevent any disputes, with only a minimum of foresight. Does anyone else have an alternative viewpoint?

While I agree entirely in terms of moral authority and responsibility, the problem still remains that the companies producing GMOs must somehow recoup their money or they will not fund additional research.

It is difficult to determine a way in which research can continue while introducing it into the world in an economically viable fashion.
My home is not a place, it is people.
View my Ons and Offs page.

View my (new)Apologies and Absences thread or my Ideas thread.